A study shows the Nickelodeon cartoon can cause short-term attention and learning problems to 4-year-olds watching just nine minutes.

The problems were seen in a study of 60 children randomly assigned to either watch "SpongeBob," or the slower-paced PBS cartoon "Caillou" or assigned to draw pictures. Immediately after these nine-minute assignments, the kids took mental function tests and those who had watched "SpongeBob" did measurably worse than the others.

Myrtle Beach Licensed Professional Counselor Lindsey Horton says the age of four is an important age for a child's development, especially self control. "When they watch a show with a lot of action," she says, "their brains are trying to respond quicker than they are supposed to."

She says if children at that age are watching television, they need a slower pace. "Children's cartoons that allow them a longer amount of time to concentrate are more helpful to their development."

Do you think it matters "what" your children watch or "how much" your children watch?

The Associate Press contributed to this story